Bush Hills resident April Myers Williams wanted to see Birmingham District 8 Councilor Carol Clarke run for another term. But when the incumbent chose not to, Williams prayed about it and spoke with the influencers of her life about campaigning for the seat.

“I just had this internal instinct that that was something that I was prepared to do and could do well,” Williams said.

She worked for decades in management positions at the Alabama/Mississippi District of the U.S. Postal Service, and she’s no stranger to public service.

Williams served four terms on the Birmingham Board of Education. She also worked for the Birmingham City Clerk’s office between 1981 and 1987 and has long been a member of the Bush Hills Neighborhood Association. Williams even helped form a nonprofit to support the association.

Williams faces a runoff election on Oct. 7 with another Birmingham Board of Education member, Sonja Smith. The two were the top candidates of nine who ran in the Aug. 26 election.

Williams said that, if elected, her No. 1 priority will be the equitable distribution of resources and services.

Williams’ campaign site offers a section in which residents can name their top three policy priorities. She said she hears the same three consistently: retail development, grocery stores and support for small businesses, particularly helping streamline permitting and licensing processes.

Another important issue for Birmingham, Williams said, is addressing the Mayor-Council Act. This 2016 law changed the budgeting process for Birmingham, putting almost all budget writing power in the hands of the executive, with the council holding an up-or-down vote on the spending plan.

“That’s in the duties of a counselor, because your role is to legislate, advocate and pass a balanced budget. But in the passing of a balanced budget, you need to be able to have input in what that budget looks like,” she said.

Williams grew up in Ensley and her family moved to the Bush Hills neighborhood while she was attending P.D. Jackson-Olin High School.

After high school, she received an accounting clerk certification and attended what then was known as Jefferson State Junior College, where she studied business administration.

Williams said she believes her professional and civic careers have given her “the experience, the time, the knowledge and the relationships that will help build a stronger District 8 and a stronger Birmingham.”

“My passion is about people, purpose and progress in building partnerships with all stakeholders. That’s your residents, that’s your places of worship, businesses and other entities that can help us create a vibrant, thriving District 8 and city of Birmingham, because it’s not a matter of just serving District 8. It is a matter of partnering with my peers on the council and the administration to advance the needs of Birmingham, to build a stronger Magic City,” she said.